Lodi Unified to adopt social media contract

LODI - Athletes and extracurricular club members in Lodi Unified are being told to tame their Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds, or they might find themselves on the sidelines.

Keith Reid

LODI - Athletes and extracurricular club members in Lodi Unified are being told to tame their Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds, or they might find themselves on the sidelines.

Lodi High Principal Bob Lofsted describes the nature in which social media has overtaken the culture of his school as "zero to 60 in three seconds," as teenagers are more commonly equipped with smartphones and instant Internet access.

For the most part, no problem, Lofsted said. However, there is a fallout to teenagers having the ability to type their thoughts on a whim and broadcast them to people they don't see in front of them.

Nasty messages and cyberbullying are leading to an increasing number of complaints. Administrators can't keep up.

"It's massive," he said. "You'd be shocked at what they say. It's appalling."

Lodi Unified last week approved a contract written by Lofsted and Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Dawn Vetica that must be signed in the fall by students that play school sports or participate in extracurriculur clubs. In summary, the contract allows school officials to suspend students from their activities if they post profane, sexual, or other demeaning statements on a social media site such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The policy doesn't limit when, or how often, a student can use social media. Posting respectful opinions or a photo of "the most delicious bagel ever" is not a violation.

"The intent is not to limit free speech," Lofsted said. "The kids can go online and say they disagree with me about anything. That's like a school newspaper that questions policy. That's fine. But kids play fast and loose. We want some discretion to be used."

Punishments will be levied on a case-by-case basis and will likely be preceded by warnings. Lofsted said, however, examples of policy violations can be found in bulk and "spread like a virus." Without being too specific, Lofsted said it's common for students to say things that are demeaning, sexually suggestive, or that pose a threat of violence. Even students that teachers wouldn't expect to be profane can be, he added.

When asked about the policy last week, several members of the Tokay High School track and field team said they would not hesitate to sign a social media policy. Although they said most teens are respectful on Twitter and other websites, some admit that they see too much negativity.

"Some people can get out of control and cross the line," said Mitchell Shelton, 18, a Tokay sprinter. "I'd be OK with signing (a contract)."

McNair High Athletic Director Quincey Noble was quick to reference one athlete's Instagram page that is filled with photographs of drugs and the student athlete using them. Noble said he has been the target of demeaning messages on social networks.

"I don't know why they think something they wouldn't say or do face-to-face is OK to say or do from behind the keyboard," Lofsted said. "But they do. They'll demean a coach or say something sexually explicit about another student. Those are things that we want to get out in front of and eliminate."

University of the Pacific communications Professor Qingwen Dong has been studying social media trends for several years. Dong suggested that, because social media has so fully enveloped U.S. culture as a whole, the wealthy website owners should pay for public service campaigns to teach and inform users of their power.

He added that teenagers and young adults are not mentally ready to understand how their social media behavior is perceived by others.

"I've done some experiments and realized college kids ... undergrads ... are unaware of the consequences. Their awareness is comparatively low to graduate students. So I think it's a developmental issue that (teenagers) are not aware of the consequences. It's not in their mind-set," Dong said.

Lofsted thinks Lodi Unified's policy will help guide teens that are in extracurriculur activities to think about what they are typing. The policy will be taught by coaches.

He compared the new social media policy to a long-standing contract that athletes sign regarding drug and alcohol use.

"They know it's 24/7. If they get caught drinking on a weekend, they can be suspended from the team or benched depending on the degree of the offense," he said.

Still, he recognizes, teens will be teens. He knows the policy will not end all cyberbullying.

Tokay High senior long jump and high jumper Janell Hadnot, 17, said a lot of the vulgarities she sees are people posting lyrics to rap songs or making statements that are meant to be funny for their peers, but are misconstrued by adults.

"Sometimes you'll read something and you can't tell if it's a joke or real," she said.

Lofsted said the policy is legal and has been vetted by district lawyers. He added that the policy is similar to some he's seen in Southern California districts.

"We're going after things that are privileges, not rights," Lofsted said. "Athletics and clubs are privileges and students that participate are representing the school in what they say and do."

Lofsted added that the schools can't and won't monitor the social media sites. They will be dealing with violations as they are brought forward.